"I've grown professionally and built confidence I didn't have before.”

In October 2020, ILEO partners collaborated to create the ILEO Good Jobs pilot to address a long-standing challenge: job seekers with skills and training are unsuccessful in finding work, while at the same time, employers experience recruitment and retention challenges for certain in-demand roles. 

As the first employer of ILEO Good Jobs, Sun Life worked closely with United Way Greater Toronto and ACCES Employment to co-develop a program pathway for residents of the Greater Golden Mile into full-time Sun Life Disability Adjudicator positions with competitive pay, benefits, and advancement opportunities.  

Since then, ILEO has expanded into a new neighbourhood – Greater Weston Mount Dennis – and ACCES Employment and Sun Life co-designed and co-delivered a four-week bespoke training program for candidates seeking the role of Disability Adjudicator. As of November 2025, 23 have been hired at Sun Life as Disability Adjudicators, with 61% retention rate and some showing potential to progress into the Disability Case Manager role. 

Dinara Karpliuk is one of 23 residents who have been hired since the program began in 2021. She shares her experience in the Sun Life Disability Adjudicator program and as a full-time hire for nearly two years below. 

I was drawn to the Sun Life Financial Disability Adjudicator program because I saw an opportunity to make a meaningful impact on people’s lives during challenging times. The role combines my interest in financial security with the ability to help individuals navigate the disability claims process—work that felt both purposeful and substantive. 

Additionally, Sun Life’s reputation as a stable, established financial services organization appealed to me. I valued the chance to work for a company with a strong commitment to employee development and benefits. The structure of the program, paired with comprehensive training, demonstrated that Sun Life invests in its people, which suggested a supportive environment where I could grow professionally while contributing to an important function. Finally, reviewing the role description, I appreciated that this position required attention to detail, critical thinking, and compassion—qualities I gained at my previous job and eager to develop them further. 

There was a pivotal moment about halfway through my training when I was reviewing a complex disability claim file with multiple medical documents and conflicting information. My trainer stepped back and let me work through the evaluation framework independently analyzing the evidence, applying the policy guidelines, and making a recommendation. When I finished, my trainer reviewed my assessment and said, “This is exactly right. You’ve correctly identified the key medical findings and applied the standard appropriately.” That’s when it clicked for me. I realized I wasn’t just memorizing procedures—I had actually understood the logic behind how to evaluate claims fairly and thoroughly. Beyond that specific moment, I’d say the skill that solidified my confidence was developing the ability to read complex medical documentation and translate it into clear, supported eligibility determinations. Early in training, medical records felt overwhelming, but through repeated practice and guidance, I began recognizing patterns and understanding what documentation was most relevant to disability assessment. 

My days follow a structured rhythm. I usually start by reviewing emails, the queue of claims assigned to me, prioritizing based on urgency and case complexity. I’ll spend the majority of my day adjudicating claim files—reading medical documentation, employment history, and applicant statements to determine eligibility. Also, the major part of the day belongs to communication with clients and following up with them on an ongoing basis. I would like to outline couple of the most rewarding moments of this job:  

I’d tell them that “ready” doesn’t mean knowing everything that is going in—it means being willing to learn, and that’s what this program is designed for. When I first started, I had moments of doubt. The material seemed dense, the responsibility felt heavy, and I questioned if I could handle the complexity. But here’s what I learned: Sun Life invests heavily in training you precisely because they don’t expect you to arrive with all the answers. The program structure is designed to build your skills incrementally. What I’d emphasize:  

The Sun Life Disability Adjudicator program, delivered in partnership with Sun Life Financial, ACCES Employment and United Way Greater Toronto, is part of the ILEO (Inclusive Local Economic Opportunity) Good Jobs program. The program aims to help residents in the Greater Golden Mile and Greater Weston Mount Dennis neighbourhoods prepare for a role in the insurance industry. Through the program, residents learn how to transfer their communication and customer service skills to the role of Disability Adjudicator, receive training directly from Sun Life, and have an opportunity to meet with Sun Life hiring managers. Learn more about the program here: ILEO-Good-Jobs-Case-Study-Sun-Life.pdf 

To learn more about how United Way Greater Toronto, BMO Financial Group and other private, public and community partners are working together to ensure the benefits of this development flow to existing residents check out the Inclusive Local Economic Opportunity Initiative (ILEO).